Spinal epidural hematoma associated with tissue plasminogen activator treatment of acute myocardial infarction.

We report a case of tissue plasminogen activator-associated spinal epidural hematoma in a patient who underwent treatment for myocardial infarction. Diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging was used within 24 hr of coronary artery stent implantation. We review the literature on thrombolytic-associated epidural spinal hematoma and discuss its management. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 48:390-396, 1999.

The retinal venous pulse. Its relation to optic disc characteristics and choroidal pulse.

PURPOSE: The presence or absence of the spontaneous retinal venous pulse is an important clinical sign, especially when one is evaluating a patient who may have increased intracranial pressure. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a large group of healthy patients, correlating optic disc characteristics, choroidal pulse, and brachial pulse pressure with the presence and intensity of the spontaneous retinal venous pulse. METHODS: Ninety-seven patients were studied correlating these parameters with their fundus photographs. Ocular pneumotonometry as a measure of the choroidal pulse and the brachial pulse pressure were correlated with the optic disc characteristics and the intensity of the retinal venous pulse statistically. RESULTS: The results showed a highly significant correlation with these parameters. The greater the pulse amplitude--especially the choroidal pulse the more likely the spontaneous retinal venous pulse would be present. More importantly, the anatomic variable of optic disc cup and vascular configuration had the greatest influence on whether the spontaneous retinal venous pulse is present or absent. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that unless the clinician is aware of the importance of optic nerve characteristics and pulse amplitude in the choroid (indirectly measured in a normal clinical setting by the brachial pulse) the significance of the spontaneous retinal venous pulse cannot be properly determined.

[Plasmid pSVc-myc-1 induces gene mutations and chromosome aberrations in cultured Chinese hamster cells]. / Plazmidnye pSVc-myc-1 indutsiruet gennye mutatsii i khromosomnye aberratsii v kul'tiviruemykh kletkakh kitaiskogo khomiachka.

The induction of mutations to 6-thioguanine-resistance and chromosome aberrations by the plasmid pSVc-myc-1, carrying the activated cellular oncogene c-myc, isolated from a mouse plasmocytoma was studied in a cultured Chinese hamster cell line. The yield of HPRT- mutants and chromosome aberrations increased 1.6 times on the average after pSVc-myc-1 treatment. The mutagenic activity of pSVc-myc-1 was statistically significant. The role of mutagenic effects of activated cellular oncogenes in malignant transformations is discussed.

Rhabdomyosarcoma manifesting as acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

A 5-month-old boy with acquired epiphora developed a right inferonasal lower eyelid mass, which was shown on computed tomography to involve the inferior and medial recti muscles and the nasolacrimal duct. Orbital exploration and excision of the mass disclosed this to be an embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. This case illustrates the importance of distinguishing acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction in infancy from true congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction.

Extensor carpi radialis recovery predicted by qualitative SEP and clinical examination in quadriplegia.

This prospective study examined the efficacy of the qualitative somatosensory evoked potential (SEP) and the initial clinical neurologic evaluation to predict motor power recovery of the extensor carpi radialis muscle (ECR). Twenty three C5-6 Frankel A-D spinal cord injured (SCI) subjects had SEPs of the median nerve (MN) and superficial radial nerve (SRN) performed within 72 hours to one week post injury. The MN and SRN cortical SEPs were qualitatively graded as either present or absent. Fifteen subjects whose initial ECR muscle strength was less than or equal to 3/5 and eight subjects whose muscle strength was greater than 3/5 were followed up to 12 to 18 months post injury for improvement in ECR muscle strength. The subject's ECR strength was evaluated by manual muscle testing (MMT) at 72 hours, weekly for three weeks, monthly for three months, and then at six, 12, and 18 months. The pin sensation at the C-5 dermatome was also tested at the above intervals and graded as either present or absent. A one tail Fisher Exact test compared the presence or absence of the MN and SRN SEPs to the recovery of the ECR to 3/5. The same one tail test also compared the presence or absence of the 72 hour C-5 pin sensation and the 72 hour MMT to the ECR recovery. Among the 15 subjects with an initial MMT of less than or equal to 3/5, ten subjects had successful ECR recovery (greater than 3/5); 5 did not. The C-5 pin sensation correctly predicted ECR recovery in all subjects studied (p less than 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Role of activated cellular c-Ha-ras-1 oncogene in the mutagenic effect of the plasmid pEJ6.6]. / Rol' aktivirovannogo kletochnogo onkogena c-Ha-ras-1 v mutagennom éffekte plazmidy pEJ6.6.

The role of the activated oncogene c-Ha-ras-1 from human bladder carcinoma integrated into the pEJ6.6 plasmid in the mutagenic effect of the plasmid was studied in Chinese hamster cells. The frequency of hypoxanthine-phosphoribosyltransferase defective (HPRT-) mutants after treatment with pEJ6.6 containing an active c-Ha-ras-1 exceeded that in control dishes treated with a derivative of pEJ6.6 plasmid with an inactivated oncogene. The inactivation was achieved by introducing a deletion into the coding region of the oncogene. The mutagenic effect was rather weak but statistically significant. Thus, the data obtained show that the mutagenic activity of pEJ6.6 plasmid is determined by its oncogene. The role of mutagenic effects of activated cellular oncogenes in malignant transformation is discussed.

[The plasmid pEJ6.6 carrying the activated c-Ha-ras-1 oncogene increases the mutation frequency in Chinese hamster cells]. / Plazmida pEJ6.6, nesushchaia aktivirovannyi onkogen c-Ha-ras-1, povyshaet chastotu mutatsii v kletkakh kitaiskogo khomiachka.

The induction of gene mutations and chromosome aberrations by the plasmid pEJ6.6 carrying the activated c-Ha-ras-1 oncogene from human bladder carcinoma was studied in cultured Chinese hamster cells. Both an increase in the frequency of gene mutations to 6-mercaptopurine resistance and of chromosome aberrations was observed after pEJ6.6 treatment as compared to control series (pBR322). Thus the results of experiments carried out show that the pEJ6.6 plasmid possesses a mutagenic activity.

[Chinese hamster cells mutant for the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus. IV. The biochemical characteristics of the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase of hybrid clones obtained by intragenic complementation]. / Issledovanie kletok kitaiskogo khomiachka, mutantnykh po lokusu gipoksantin-guanin-fosforiboziltransferzay. Soobshchenie IV. Biokhimicheskaia kharakteristika gipoksantin-guanin-fosforiboziltransferazy gibridnykh klonov, poluchennykh pri vnutrigennoi komplementatsii.

A biochemical study of hypoxanthine-guanine-phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) has been carried out in hybrid clones of Chinese hamster cells obtained in complementation experiments. A wide range of biochemical characteristics made it possible to identify a hybrid form of HPRT differing from the enzyme of parental clones in virtually every hybrid tested. The presence of hybrid HPRT was detected by the changed kinetic properties of temperature sensitivity and electrophoretic mobility compared to the enzyme in mutant cells. Since HPRT consists of identical subunits, the hybrid nature of the enzyme in cells obtained through hybridization of HPRT-mutant clones may be regarded as evidence for intragenic complementation. None of the hybrid clones contained an enzyme with the normal properties. Groups of hybrids with similar biochemical characteristics of HPRT can be obtained, if one of the mutant partners involved in hybridization belongs to one and the same complementation group; the major characteristics of hybrid HPRT are then determined by the partner having the higher level of enzyme activity. The series of studies of intragenic complementation in the HPRT gene is summarized.

[Chinese hamster cells with mutation in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus. III. The biochemical characteristics of the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase of complementing mutants]. / Issledovanie kletok kitaiskogo khomiachka, mutantnykh po lokusu gipoksantin-guaninfosforiboziltransferazy. Soobshchenie III. Biokhmicheskaia kharakteristika gipoksantin-guaninfosforiboziltransferazy komplementiruiushchikh mutantov.

The paper presents a biochemical study of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribozyltransferase (HRPT) in mutant clones of Chinese hamster cells showing an ability for complementation. In order to characterize HPRT, its kinetic properties, temperature sensitivity and electrophoretic mobility in polyacrylamide gel were assayed. According to the complementation map, the nine mutant clones studied can be divided into four complementation groups. All these clones have been shown to be mutants with respect to the HPRT structural gene, as they synthesize the structurally and functionally altered enzyme. A comparative biochemical analysis of HPRT in the four complementation groups revealed substantial differences in mutant enzymes from different groups; hence, the possibility of complementation on the molecular level. All biochemical characteristics of HPRT tested are similar in clones belonging to one and the same complementation group, which could indicate that they have the same structural variant of the enzyme, regardless of the manner in which the mutants were obtained. Having revealed the similarity and the distinctive features of mutant enzymes within complementation groups, the biochemical analysis confirmed the results of complementation analysis and added the structural information concerning mutant variants of the enzyme. Thus, the complementation map of the HPRT gene yielded by hybridological analysis has been tested and confirmed by an independent biochemical study. Complementation analysis applied to the HPRT mutants made it possible to identify qualitatively distinct groups. Each of these groups may be regarded as an allele of the gene, and the sum of the groups may be regarded as a series of multiple alleles.